Waterloo police believe series of home invasions related

Police in Waterloo say three home invasions early Thursday morning are connected and the victims were not chosen at random. In one of the break-ins, a woman was shot in the leg. The injuries to 27-year-old Deshai Whitis are not considered life-threatening.

Waterloo Police Chief Tom Jennings says all the three of the incidents occurred between 3 and 5 a.m. "We believe those three events are connected," Jennings said at a press conference. "We know these weren’t random acts. These houses weren’t just picked out."

No arrests have been made. Police have been interviewing witnesses and victims. Jennings declined to discuss a possible motive. "In this forum, I’m hesitant to elaborate, but I can tell you we have information that connects the three home invasions together," Jennings said. Police say one of the invasions involved three or four intruders in face masks that demanded money from the home’s occupants.

In the other two cases, nothing was taken from the homes. A relative of the shooting victim said he doesn’t believe robbery was the motive in that event. Waterloo Police also noted that two assaults occurred on Wednesday. Officers made arrests in those cases and say they do not appear to be connected to the home invasions.